At Even, Ere The Sun Was Set
At Even, Ere the Sun Was Set
At even, ere the sun was set,
The sick, O Lord, around Thee lay;
O in what divers pains they met!
O with what joy they went away!
Once more ’tis eventide, and we,
Oppressed with various ills, draw near;
What if Thy form we cannot see?
We know and feel that Thou art here.
O Savior Christ, our woes dispel;
For some are sick, and some are sad,
And some have never loved Thee well,
And some have lost the love they had;
And none, O Lord, have perfect rest,
For none are wholly free from sin;
And they who fain would serve Thee best
Are conscious most of wrong within.
O Savior Christ, Thou too art man;
Thou hast been troubled, tempted, tried;
Thy kind but searching glance can scan
The very wounds that shame would hide.
Thy touch has still its ancient power;
No word from Thee can fruitless fall;
Hear, in this solemn evening hour,
And in Thy mercy heal us all.
MATTHEW, Mark, and Luke all emphasize one particular day in Jesus’ life when He came to Capernaum. Though it was a Sabbath day, it was a busy one for the Lord. It began in the synagogue, where the people were amazed at the authority of His teaching, and continued as He cast out a demon from a demon-possessed man. Then He went to Peter’s house and healed Peter’s mother-in-law. By that time, people were flocking to Jesus, bringing others who were sick and asking Him to touch them.
We, too, says the hymnwriter, come to Jesus with all our troubles. Some of these are physical, some are spiritual, some are emotional, and some are a mixture of many things. He understands our troubles better than we do ourselves.
“At even, ere the sun was set,” we can line up at the door and ask for the divine touch, which “has still its ancient power.”
That evening after sunset, many sick and demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. The whole town gathered at the door to watch. So Jesus healed many people who were sick with various diseases, and he cast out many demons.
Mark 1:32-34
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